


House of Memories

by ohsehunseoul



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Worlds, Famous chef!Kyungsoo, M/M, X-EXO Clones (EXO), minor depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27876353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohsehunseoul/pseuds/ohsehunseoul
Summary: One day, Kyungsoo was excitedly counting down the days until one of his new restaurants opened and, before he knew it, he was thrown into a world he swore was a dream. There would be no other explanation for waking up and being told he’s a chef for an evil clan...right? He had to be dreaming, but it all felt too real. One of the clan’s corrupted employees didn’t make it easier for Kyungsoo, either.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39
Collections: EXODEUX Round 1





	House of Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope the prompter (and anyone else reading this) enjoys the story! This was such a fun prompt and I want to thank the prompter for giving me an opportunity to bring said prompt to life!

“Did you hear Do Kyungsoo is opening up a new restaurant? Rumor has it that it’s going to be in Itaewon.“ 

“No way! You know it’s going to be booked months ahead of time as soon as it opens.”

“Try years.”

Kyungsoo smiled to himself as he exited the subway, cap and mask adorned to hide his appearance. It had taken a long time for him to accept that he wasn't some at home chef and that he was, in fact, famous in the food world. Ever since he worked in his first kitchen at fifteen, Kyungsoo wanted to open a restaurant. After taking out more loans that he could imagine, Kyungsoo made that dream come true when he was eighteen. Now, at age twenty-five, Kyungsoo was about to open his third restaurant. He had developed a passion for cooking Japanese food after mentoring under some of Japan's most elite chefs, so his Japanese inspired restaurant in Itaewon was another dream come true.

Kyungsoo weaved around the people walking on the streets of Seoul. He was making a stop at his first restaurant, Doh’s, to help some of his chefs. It was nice to come in and contribute to his own restaurant instead of only having people who memorized his recipes make them for the patrons. Luckily for Kyungsoo (and his employees), everyone loved him. He was humble as can be and also used a lot of his profits to donate to charities he was passionate about. He felt like it was an appropriate way to pay back to the world, especially since he did everything on his own and faced many financial hardships along the way.

As Kyungsoo rounded the corner, he saw one of his best friends, who was also the head chef at his first restaurant, waving to him.

"Yixing, hey!" Kyungsoo waved back. "You should go inside. It's boiling out here."

"It's no cooler in the kitchen." Yixing shrugged. "I swear I'm seeing stars."

"We'll have to do something about that." Kyungsoo pulled off his face mask. "Anyway, let's head in."

Kyungsoo spent the next few hours until closing cooking and checking how his customers were enjoying their experience. Food may have just been something necessary for survival to some but, for Kyungsoo, it was so much more than that. Trying new foods from different cultures, going out with friends, experimenting with ingredients, and much more, had so much of an impact on everyone's lives. Kyungsoo felt that food brought people together because it was something everyone had in common. His patrons must have agreed, as he had a lot of foreigners who had made reservations months ahead of time in lieu of their upcoming trip to South Korea.

After saying his goodbyes to the last table. Kyungsoo made his way back to the kitchen. He took off his apron and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

“You’re still up for tomorrow, right?” Yixing exited the freezers and also took off his apron. “Minseok will also be there. Drinks on me...well, first drinks.” 

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.” Kyungsoo put his hands on his hips. “Hanging with you guys is the highlight of the week. Well, when I get to choose the movie, that is.”

“It’s my turn this week.” Yixing smirked. “So, be ready.” 

“Can’t wait.” 

Kyungsoo shared more idle chatter with his employees and left the restaurant not long after. He was exhausted.  
As soon as Kyungsoo got home, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a pleasant slumber. The heat of the kitchen and adrenaline from working in such a fast-paced environment always put him straight to sleep. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Tomorrow was a new day and a chance for him to be one step closer to opening his next restaurant. 

Or so he thought. 

...

With Kyungsoo’s eyes still closed, he felt around on his bed for his phone. He had no idea what time it was. 

But...something was different. His sheets didn’t feel the same. The soft cotton ones he had at home were replaced with a scratchy fabric. Did he do laundry and wash his good sheets?

Kyungsoo cracked one eye open and scanned his surroundings. He jolted up when he realized he wasn’t in his room. Kyungsoo’s organized and minimalist room at home was replaced by a drab looking room that looked to be rather messy. He could have mistaken the room for a large storage closet, if it wasn’t for a few items of furniture that seemed like they weren’t actively being used. He was surrounded by yellowed wallpaper that was peeling at the corners and an offensively-colored carpet. 

Kyungsoo had to have been dreaming. It felt so real, but it couldn’t be. He was just sleeping in his bed at home.

He cautiously stood up and groped the walls for a light switch. When Kyungsoo found a light and turned it on, he frowned. It didn’t make much of a difference if the room was lit or not. At least he could make out a partially open door that looked to be a bathroom. He made his way over and scanned the room. It was a bathroom, if he could even call it that. Kyungsoo turned on the light in the bathroom and, luckily, the bathroom lit up more than the other room he woke up in. Kyungsoo looked at himself in the cracked mirror in front of him and took in his appearance. His chestnut-colored hair was replaced by an inky black. He still looked like himself but it felt strange. Kyungsoo had plenty of weird dreams before, but it seemed like he couldn't wake up from this one.

“What’s going on?” Kyungsoo said to himself and ran his hands down his face. 

Kyungsoo almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud banging on the door. 

“Hurry up!” A muffled voice yelled. “Don’t leave them waiting!” 

Them? Who were they? 

Kyungsoo entertained the idea that he was, indeed, dreaming and went back into the ‘bedroom’ to see if he could find any clothes. When he did, he felt some sense of familiarity, at least. There was a drawer full of relatively nice button-ups and a variety of pants. The drawer under it had some tattered and worn clothes that Kyungsoo opted to not wear.   
He quickly got ready and eyed himself in the mirror before turning off the lights and exiting the room. Just outside the door was a male he didn’t recognize eyeing him harshly. 

“You took forever.” He spoke in a deep voice. “Come with me.” 

Before Kyungsoo could answer, the male grabbed his arm harshly and pulled him down one of the long halls. 

“What’s happening?” Kyungsoo managed to ask. 

“I know it’s your first day, but don’t play dumb.” The male didn’t even turn back to look at Kyungsoo when he talked to him. 

Kyungsoo sighed deeply and was led down the hall until they stopped in front of a partition door. The male pushed Kyungsoo inside. 

When Kyungsoo caught himself, so he didn’t fall, he looked up to see a kitchen. It was stunning. The kitchen had every gadget a chef could imagine. It was pristine. Maybe Kyungsoo was dreaming about his new restaurant?

“Get cooking.” The male from earlier poked his head inside the room. 

“Cook what?” Kyungsoo asked. “Look, I don’t know who you are, so can you please explain?”

“Call me Mr. Kim.” The male, Mr. Kim responded. “And, it’s the morning, dipshit. Cook breakfast.” 

“You know what?” Kyungsoo said. “No. Who do you think you are telling me what to do?” He made his way towards the door. “Get out of my way.” 

Instead of the man moving, Mr. Kim shoved him inside and pushed Kyungsoo’s back against a wall. He held his forearm across Kyungsoo’s neck, putting down light pressure. It was starting to not feel like he was dreaming. 

“You’re going to do what I say. The contract says you have to.” Mr. Kim seethed. 

“I didn’t sign a contract.” Kyungsoo responding, glaring at the taller male. 

“You didn’t have to.” Mr. Kim grinned. “You were sold for your skills. Mommy and daddy didn’t really care about you that much, huh?” 

“What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo scowled. “My parents have been dead since I was three. I was raised by my grandparents.”

“Wow, they really did hit you hard in the head.” Mr. Kim chuckled. “If you don’t want to die, I advise you to do as I say. Trust me, I won’t hesitate to hurt you.” 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You’re making this all up.” 

Instead of an audible response, Mr. Kim pushed his forearm into Kyungsoo’s neck with more pressure. When he didn’t stop and Kyungsoo began to feel dizzy, Kyungsoo hit Mr. Kim’s bicep. 

“I get it.” Kyungsoo coughed out. 

“Good.” Mr. Kim pat Kyungsoo’s shoulder a little too hard. “Don’t make me come back in here."

Kyungsoo shrugged the man off and went to see what he could make. After noticing the kitchen was stocked with more than enough to make almost anything Kyungsoo wanted, he opted for a traditional breakfast. He set the rice to cook while he worked on chopping the vegetables and frying up some eggs. 

Once Kyungsoo finished all of the sides, he focused on making a quick stew with some tofu. It didn’t take much time and, frankly, Kyungsoo wanted to get out as soon as possible to get some answers. 

“Are you done yet?” Mr. Kim’s voice spoke from outside the door. 

“Just finished.” Kyungsoo ladled the final ladle of stew into a portable pot. 

“Great.” Mr. Kim came into the room and brought Kyungsoo a wheeled serving table. By the looks of it, there were six of each plate and piece of silverware. Luckily, he made enough to feed at least ten. 

Kyungsoo put the food onto the table and looked at Mr. Kim expectantly. 

Mr. Kim quirked a brow. “You need me to really tell you what to do?” He crossed his arms. When Kyungsoo looked at him blankly, Mr. Kim rolled his eyes and nodded to the direction of the door on the other side of the room. “Bring it there and serve it.” 

Kyungsoo sighed deeply, but obliged. He put his hands on the cold metal of the cart and pushed it.

Kyungsoo was too busy making sure that nothing fell off the table when he rolled it through the doors that he didn’t have a chance to look up. 

“Ah, so this is the new guy?” One voice spoke. 

“A lot different than the other.” Another said. 

“And shorter.” Someone chuckled. 

Kyungsoo finally had the opportunity to look up and was a little taken aback at what he saw. There were six males sitting at the table in front of him. They didn’t look like an average person, they all looked extremely different and unique. All of them had sharp features and intimidating expressions on their faces. 

“Ah, there’s his face.” The tallest looking male spoke. He had light pink hair and a small cut on the bridge of his nose. His most striking feature was that he had one blue eye and one eye that was almost completely white. 

“Took you long enough.” A different male spoke. He had white hair and bright blue eyes. 

Kyungsoo had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes. He stopped the cart and began to set out plates in front of each of the males. 

“What’s your name, kid?” One of the males with slicked back red hair and blue eyes asked. 

“Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo muttered. 

“Speak up. What is it?” A black haired male chuckled. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if he had a cut near his left eye, or if it was makeup of some sort. He didn’t want to get close enough to find out. Most of the men gave him the creeps. He had barely even registered what any of them looked like, but Kyungsoo felt extremely uncomfortable. It was all too real.

“It’s Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo said more loudly, almost smashing one of the dishes he was putting in front of another black haired male. He had longer hair with piercing brown and blue eyes that he could feel sizing him up.

“Ah.” The last male at the table quietly responded. He had teal hair, as well as one nearly white eye and one blue eye, like some of the others. He stood out to Kyungsoo the most. Something about his features looked so intimidating, in a way. 

"Well, Kyungsoo." The white haired male clapped his hands together. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves to you, since you're kind of stuck with us." He chuckled. "We're Red Force. Have you heard about us?"

Kyungsoo picked up a ladle for the stew and scoffed. "No. How could I have heard of you?"

"You're joking." The pink haired male spoke, sounding shocked. "I know you're fucking with us."

"Clearly, I'm in some dream state right now and I don't know anything." Kyungsoo ladled some of the stew in a bowl in front of the pierced black-haired male. "This is the most realistic dream I've ever had, so bravo to you all. I can't wait to wake up."

"You're not dreaming, buddy." The red haired male spoke. "We can prove it to you. I mean, not that you want us to gut you right here and now. We did go through a lot to get you in the first place. It's not every day a famous chef is dropped into our laps like this."

"We know who you are, Kyungsoo." The male with shorter black hair grinned. "You're pretty well known, yeah? That's why it's now your responsibility to cook for us."

"So, I'm also a chef in my dreams?" Kyungsoo continued to serve the food. "That's cool, I guess."

"Don't even bother explaining it anymore." The teal-haired male raised a hand. "He's going to find out sooner or later that he isn't dreaming."

"Fine." The red-haired male heaved a sigh. "Then, aside from Red Force, we obviously have names that you must call us by. Clear?"

"Crystal." Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

"Alright. I'm Junmyeon, first and foremost. Now, if you hear anyone calling us other names, you do not have permission to use those. Those are for Red Force only." Junmyeon crossed his arms over his chest. "The one next to me is Sehun." He nodded to the black-haired male with the makeup, or scar, on his face.

"I'm Chanyeol." The guy with pink hair said. "He's Baekhyun." Chanyeol pointed to the male with white hair, and then to the black-haired male with lip piercings. "That's Jongdae."

"I'm Jongin." The last from the group spoke. It was the teal-haired male.

"I'll try to remember, or whatever." Kyungsoo finished serving Red Force. He wanted to be done as quickly as possible. "Alright, see you."

"Where do you think you're going?"

Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to make eye contact with Baekhyun, who was eyeing him expectantly.

"Um...I'm leaving? Pretty sure I'm just supposed to make you food, not be your friend." Kyungsoo turned back around and left the room.

Kyungsoo sighed once he was back in the kitchen. He couldn't fathom everything that was going on. He mindlessly cleaned up the remainder of his prepping utensils while he figured out what to do. If he was truly dreaming, there would be a point where he would wake up and everything would go back to normal.

Kyungsoo didn't notice Mr. Kim make his way into the kitchen until he felt a tug at his wrist.

"You're done." Mr. Kim said. "Go back to your room."

Kyungsoo let himself be dragged back to the room and he heard the door lock behind him and sighed for the nth time.

"Come on, wake up." Kyungsoo said and pinched himself. He knew it wouldn't do anything, but it was a desperate attempt to get out of the nightmare he was in.

All Kyungsoo could do was pace around the room. He looked through the boxes in the room and there was nothing of use. The boxes were filled with mostly junk. Kyungsoo told himself he would look through them in more depth another time. For now, he tried to stack them in one of the corners of the room to allow him more space.

It must have taken Kyungsoo quite some time because the next thing he knew, he heard another knock on the door.

"Time to get cooking."

Kyungsoo was to prepare lunch for Red Force, as well as a banquet meal for later that night. The group had a meeting of some sort, and it was up to Kyungsoo to make everything. He didn't get a chance to have a break, not even a small one to bring the food to Red Force. Instead, Kyungsoo was busy in the kitchen.

Kyungsoo knew he cooked well--it was no secret. However, he felt like his efforts were a complete waste on Red Force. He was pretty sure they weren't good people, and those were the last people that Kyungsoo would ever support. However, the chef managed to trudge on like he always did.

Kyungsoo stood back proudly to admire the croquembouche he made. He didn't care if Red Force liked it or not, he made it for his own enjoyment. French pastries were one of Kyungsoo's favorite things to make. He learned a lot of said recipes from the head chef at the restaurant where he worked when he was younger.

"If you stare at it any longer, it's going to fall." Mr. Kim's voice boomed from behind Kyungsoo, causing him to jump. "Go do your thing and serve the appetizers."

Kyungsoo glared at Mr. Kim before bringing the food out to the table. Red Force was sitting with another group of men. They were all dressed in suits and it seemed like a rather serious meeting.

"I still don't agree with how you handled the situation with Exodus." One of the older men at the table took a drink of the red wine in front of him.

"They wouldn't hand over what we wanted." Junmyeon shrugged. "There was nothing else for us to do."

"You killed them. You killed them all." A furious looking male spoke. He was closer in age with Kyungsoo and had brunette hair.

"Mr. Lee, please." Baekhyun swirled the wine around his glass. "Don't be so angry, it's not a good look on you."

"Besides, we warned them." Chanyeol picked up his chopsticks once Kyungsoo set the appetizer in front of him. "They owed us anyway."

"They could have paid you guys back!" The younger male, Mr. Lee, responded. "You helped them once. They fed you enough information to make up for that countless times. I know you guys don't have any conscience, but still. This is a new low."

"Really?" Jongdae exchanged a look with Sehun. "I think we're doing pretty well. You should stop complaining. You know you benefited from their deaths, as well. There's one less clan to worry about. With them out of the way, Red Force can gain more power and, therefore, get you more money. That's all you're about, anyway. You shouldn't whine about where the money comes from."

Kyungsoo couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. He had to go back into the kitchen and wait until they were ready for the entree. Honestly, the discussion was worrying him. He was right about Red Force. They were truly evil. He couldn't understand why they wanted so much power.

When Mr. Kim gave Kyungsoo the indication that they were ready for the main dish, Kyungsoo put the items on the serving table and brought it back into the dining room.

"Are you kidding?" Jongin watched Mr. Lee. "Tactix? You want us to take down Tactix?"

"It's the only way for you guys to truly be on top." Mr. Lee seemed to be much more relaxed. "Mr. Min and Mr. Dae agree. You'll be the number one clan and can basically take control of whatever you want."

"We can already take control of whatever we want." Chanyeol looked bored with Mr. Lee's words. "But, we do fully plan on taking them down at some point."

"Could you imagine how everyone is going to react when Red Force has more power than the government? I can practically see their pathetic little faces right now." Baekhyun chuckled.

"In all seriousness, though." Junmyeon moved his hand to let Kyungsoo pick up his plate. "We need more time to prepare before we do that."

Mr. Lee hummed. "Alright. I have to say, though. They aren't too pleased with everything going on right now. You need to get to them before they get to you."

"They won't get to us." Sehun replied. "The last time someone even entertained that idea...well, they didn't make it out of here alive." He laughed. "I would be careful with your words, Mr. Lee."

Mr. Lee clearly didn't take Sehun's words seriously by his reaction. "The little baby of Red Force is going to try and scare me? I don't think so."

"With all due respect, Mr. Lee," Jongin chimed in, "He may be the youngest, but don't let that fool you. We're a team here and insulting him is like insulting all of us."

"I'm kidding, kid." Mr. Lee grinned. "You know that."

Once again, Kyungsoo had to go back into the kitchen to wait, so he wasn't aware of the conversation in between. Kyungsoo went out with the dessert a while later and the conversation seemed to turn into more casual talk.

"Wow, look at that." Mr. Lee whistled. "Who is this kid you got here, boys?"

"His name's Kyungsoo." Jongin said. "He's our new chef."

"I need one of him. Mind if I borrow him for a bit?" Mr. Lee joked.

"Sorry, you'll have to get your own. We worked hard enough to get him anyway." Junmyeon cleared his throat.

When Kyungsoo put a clean dish in front of Mr. Lee, the male grabbed his wrist and looked at him.

"Quite the looker too, huh?" Mr. Lee eyed Red Force. "You sure you can't share?"

Kyungsoo watched Mr. Lee in disgust.

"Absolutely not. Let go of him. He's ours." Jongin responded. Kyungsoo was appreciative and offended by the statement. He surely didn't belong to them.

Kyungsoo didn't want to spend another second around Mr. Lee. He haphazardly placed the rest of the plates and went back into the kitchen.

"I need to go. I don't feel well." Kyungsoo said to Mr. Kim, who was staring at him curiously.

"No. You finish the job and I tell you when you can go." Mr. Kim said. "Go back in there and come back when I say to come back."

"Sorry, no can do." Kyungsoo responded. He was truly feeling unwell because he was coming to terms with the fact that it really wasn't a dream, no matter how much he wished it was.

Mr. Kim whipped around when Kyungsoo pushed past him and grabbed the chef's collar.

"Let me prove to you this is your new reality." Mr. Kim's eyes were blank.

Before Kyungsoo could process the situation, he found himself falling back against the refrigerators. He held his face in pain and looked up to see Mr. Kim with a balled up fist.

"Let that black eye be a reminder to listen to me."

Kyungsoo eventually got himself back up. Not only did his face hurt, but his back was in pain from slamming against the fridge. He needed to compose himself before he went back out to the dining room. He took a few breaths before heading back in.

Kyungsoo kept his head down while he picked up the remaining plates. The table was rather busy eating and chatting, so it made it easier to get by with no one noticing.

When Kyungsoo took Jongin's extra plate, he felt Jongin's eyes on him. He met the other male's eyes and stared at him expectantly.

When Jongin didn't say anything, Kyungsoo moved on and got the rest of the plates from the table and brought them back into the kitchen. He still couldn't wrap his brain around how he got there. The thing Mr. Kim said about his parents made no sense. However, that wasn't Kyungsoo's main concern. He was more focused on if he should play coy to escape, or if he should fight his way out.

When Kyungsoo finished his duties, he looked outside of the kitchen door to where Mr. Kim usually was, and was relieved to see that he wasn't there. Maybe Kyungsoo could get a look around the place. He quietly left the kitchen and walked through the hall. He had only seen a bit of what the location had to offer, but he could tell the place was huge. Kyungsoo made his way to a window and pulled the curtains to the side to look at his surroundings. It looked like they were on a long stretch of road quite far from anyone else. The area was gated and appeared to have a lot of security. It would make it difficult for Kyungsoo to get away. He wasn't planning on leaving just yet. He had to hatch a plan, or else he would surely get himself killed.

Kyungsoo backed away from the curtains and continued to make his way down the hall. There were many twists and turns in the building, including a lot of rooms, but Kyungsoo wasn't stupid enough to blindly open up a room.

Just as Kyungsoo rounded another corner, he bumped into the chest of someone much taller than him.

"Oh, sorry about that." Kyungsoo mumbled before looking up.

"There you are."

Mr. Kim's voice made Kyungsoo's breath catch in his throat. He knew he was fucked.

"I...got lost." Kyungsoo lied. He backed up a bit before Mr. Kim harshly grabbed his wrist.

"I'm going to have to deal with you in a different way. Apparently you don't like to listen to the rules. "

When Mr. Kim raised his hand at Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo ripped his wrist from Mr. Kim's grasp and backed up once more. He felt himself bump into something and prayed it wasn't one of the ornate statues that decorated the halls.

"What's going on here?" A voice spoke. Kyungsoo vaguely recognized it. He turned his head to see Jongin right behind him.

"This little asshole doesn't like to listen to my orders." Mr. Kim crossed his arms against his chest. "He decided to waltz around here like he owns the place."

"I was just walking around. I'm clearly unfamiliar with the place and it's easy to get lost." Kyungsoo defended himself.

"You're a liar. I know what you're up to and I'll kill you if I have to." Mr. Kim glared at Kyungsoo.

"No, you won't." Jongin stood next to Kyungsoo. "He's allowed to walk around. I don't know where you got this idea that he's confined to two rooms, Mr. Kim."

Kyungsoo watched Jongin as he spoke.

"Unless we don't want him walking around, he can. That's up to Red Force, not you. So, leave him alone. You remember what it was like your first day here, don't you? You were scared and nervous as hell and you actually came here voluntarily."

"Whatever." Mr. Kim rolled his eyes, arms still crossed tightly over his chest.

"Excuse me?" Jongin quirked a brow.

"Sorry." Mr. Kim muttered. "I'll take care of him and bring him back to his room. He probably shouldn't be out now, since you have guests."

"Actually, I came here because of that. His assistance is requested in the dining room." Jongin smiled at Mr. Kim. "So, I can take care of it."

"Sure, sure." Mr. Kim mumbled something else under his breath. He shoved past Kyungsoo and turned the corner.

"Sorry about him." Jongin said. "I assume he did that to you?" He looked at Kyungsoo's eye.

"It's fine." Kyungsoo responded. "I should have listened to his threats because he's seemingly capable of a lot."

"He shouldn't be doing that." Jongin tapped Kyungsoo's shoulder. "Come with me."

"Did I miss something earlier?" Kyungsoo asked. He didn't know why Red Force needed him.

"Nah." Jongin shook his head. "I saw your eye earlier and knew something was up. The last chef we had was one of Mr. Kim's punching bags and we've been trying to put a stop to it."

"Ah." Kyungsoo said. He followed Jongin into the dining room.

"Everything good?" Jongdae asked when the two entered the room.

"Mr. Kim has been at it again." Jongin went to his seat and sat down.

"He's so annoying. I swear, he wants to be part of RF so badly. I wish we could get rid of him." Sehun sighed.

"Yeah, but it's hard when he's Jongdae's cousin." Jongin responded.

"So? I don't even like him! He's always hanging onto the coattails of Red Force." Jongdae raised his hands up in frustration.

"Oh, did you see Mr. Lee and company out?" Junmyeon looked at Jongin.

Kyungsoo stood near the door, confused as to what he should have been doing.

"Yeah, he's gone." Jongin nodded.

"Finally. He's such an idiot." Baekhyun chuckled. "I swear, I lost brain cells listening to him."

"Oh, yeah. We're going to kill him. He's super annoying." Junmyeon grinned. "He really thought he could tell us what to do."

"Won't that impact you poorly?" Kyungsoo chimed in without thinking. "I mean, I have no place to talk, but it seems like he has a lot of power. You don't want him to blindside you somehow."

"You've got a point." Chanyeol nodded. Kyungsoo was surprised he didn't tell him to be quiet. "What you don't know is that Tactix is super advanced. We actually had a blueprint for a security mechanism we wanted to set up, and it somehow got stolen from here and brought to them. A blueprint for a gun we had in the works got taken, too. Since they have those, we could be in a lot of danger if we tried to infiltrate."

"How do you think they got them? You don't think someone is two-timing, do you? Is it possible Mr. Lee could have given it to him and is playing both of you?" Kyungsoo leaned against the wall. "I got a weird vibe from him. Who is to say he didn't have that same conversation with Tactix about taking you guys down?" He asked.

"I...never thought about that." Junmyeon hummed. "He is one of the few people who come and go from here."

Kyungsoo didn't consider that he was giving advice to an evil clan, because they didn't come off that way to him when he was actually in conversation with them. He seemed to be in a whole different world, so he didn't know how people felt about Red Force from the outside. All he knew was what he learned in the past few hours.

"Damn, I didn't think we were getting a chef and another member of Red Force." Sehun laughed. "Kidding, but that's really helpful. We need to eventually take Tactix down and show the world what we have to offer."

"If we have everyone under our control, no one can even consider telling us what to do. No government, no nothing. Everyone listens and follows our rules." Jongdae grinned. "I love the sound of that.”

Yep. There was the part where Kyungsoo remembered that they were, indeed, an evil clan.

"Well, alright." Chanyeol stood up. "We need to have a meeting about this and figure out how and when we will kill Mr. Lee."

"Sounds good to me." Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol and stood up.

Kyungsoo watched the group retreat from the dining room.

"See you around, Kyungsoo!" Baekhyun waved to the chef before leaving.

Kyungsoo could only wave back and reflect on what the hell had just happened.

...

Kyungsoo had wished that his most recent encounter would be the last time he saw Mr. Kim, but he was wrong. He was dragged out of his room the next day and instructed to cook from the morning to late at night. Mr. Kim was insistent that he not stray away from him, and even stayed next to him in the kitchen. Kyungsoo didn't have a chance to see any of the clan members that day since he couldn't even deliver the food to them. He heard some mumbles about an emergency meeting, but he wasn't sure.

It wasn't until the next day that he saw anyone. It was close to midnight and a commotion was heard outside of his room. Kyungsoo went to the door and put his ear against the wood. He nearly fell back when he heard a gunshot and many pairs of footsteps running through the halls.

When it seemed to be more quiet, Kyungsoo tried the handle of the door and, luckily, it was unlocked. When he poked his head out, he was shocked to see blood on the floor. He followed the trail and was met with a body. Kyungsoo had to cover his mouth to not make any sounds. He had no idea what was going on. It wasn't anyone that Kyungsoo recognized, but the person that was at the end of the blood trail he was following was familiar to him. The teal hair was familiar.

When he made eye contact with Jongin, Kyungsoo rushed over and crouched down next to him.

"What happened? Where are you hurt?" Kyungsoo asked. Kyungsoo's kindness and compassion for others was often his kryptonite. However, his heart couldn't let him see someone suffer and not do anything.

"You were right." Jongin heaved a sigh. "Somehow, Tactix found out about our plans and came for us. Someone is backstabbing us and is their informant. We truly think it's Mr. Lee because they knew where our headquarters was and no one else would have the ability to tell them."

Kyungsoo heard sounds approaching from the hall.

"Where are you hurt?" Kyungsoo asked again. "We need to get you out of here."

Jongin lifted his hand that was placed firmly against his abdomen to show a stab wound.

"Can you stand?" Kyungsoo asked.

"I think so." Jongin nodded.

"Alright." Kyungsoo gently helped Jongin up and threw the clan member's arm around his shoulders. "You can stay in my room for now. I don't think we have much time before someone else comes around."

Jongin didn't respond, instead he obliged and let Kyungsoo take him to his room.

Kyungsoo pushed his door open with the toe of his Oxfords and helped Jongin sit on the bed and lean against the wall.

"This is where you live?" Jongin looked around the room, grimacing as he did so.

"It's not like I had much of a choice." Kyungsoo lifted Jongin's head from the wall to place a pillow down. "I don't even know how I got here."

"You're serious, you don't remember." Jongin said, as more of a statement than a question.

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I explained it more than needed. I have another life as an actual chef. This is just an ongoing nightmare for me." Kyungsoo went to the door and put his hand on the handle.

Jongin eyed Kyungsoo incredulously. "I think you're mistaken."

"I think you're part of an evil clan and I shouldn't take most of what you say seriously." Kyungsoo responded matter-of-factly. "I mean, you guys are trying to take over the world, so it's probably pure words of manipulation that come out of your mouth." He sighed. "Anyway, I'll be right back."

"Woah, don't go out there!" Jongin began to get up, only to have Kyungsoo walk towards him and put his hand on the taller's chest to stop him.

"It's fine. I need to find everyone else. I think the sounds have died down, anyway." Kyungsoo responded.

Before Jongin could retort, Kyungsoo exited the room.

When Kyungsoo heard rapid footsteps, he quickly ducked into the kitchen and peered through the crack of the door to examine who it was.

When he saw Chanyeol, Kyungsoo relaxed and opened the door.

"Chanyeol." Kyungsoo called.

Kyungsoo watched the pink-haired male stop running and turn around to look at him.

"Have you seen Jongin or Junmyeon?" Chanyeol asked.

"Yeah, I brought Jongin to my room. He was hurt." Kyungsoo responded.

"Chan!" Baekhyun's voice boomed through the hall. "We got Junmyeon. He's okay."

Kyungsoo watched the rest of Red Force make their way to them. They all looked in different levels of disarray. Blood matted their hair and flecks of the red liquid decorated their clothing. Some of them looked like they had been hurt, but not to the degree that Jongin had been hurt.

"Good." Chanyeol responded. "Kyungsoo said Jongin's been hurt."

Baekhyun looked at Kyungsoo expectantly.

"I'll bring you guys to him." Kyungsoo said.

"It's my fault." Sehun responded. "Tactix came up behind me unexpectedly and he pushed me aside."

"It's not your fault, Sehun." Jongdae responded, patting the other male on the shoulder. "None of us were expecting this."

"Lead the way, Kyungsoo." Junmyeon nodded at Kyungsoo.

If Kyungsoo hadn't been informed that they were evil, he swore that he would have no idea.

"It could be worse, at least." Baekhyun noted after he examined Jongin’s injury.

Junmyeon had left the room momentarily to get a first-aid kit and came back to clean Jongin's wound.

Kyungsoo watched, unsure of what he could do.

Even before Kyungsoo could ask questions about what happened, Mr. Kim barged through the door and marched up to the bed. His cream-colored turtleneck was speckled with blood.

"There's a huge fucking mess out there." Mr Kim spoke.

"How many dead?" Chanyeol turned from where he was sitting on Kyungsoo's bed.

"Tactix lost a lot, I think we found seven bodies." Mr. Kim wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "We lost three."

"What?" Jongdae shot up. "Who was killed?"

"Ms. Park, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Xu." Mr. Kim said. "They don't really matter, they were just here to serve us."

"Shit." Sehun muttered. "We worked hard to get them. Mr. Xu was a good guy."

Mr. Kim hummed. "The main reason I'm here is because we need someone to clean up, and a lot of our servants are dead."

"They were employees, not servants." Baekhyun said.

"Whatever." Mr. Kim paused before walking up to Kyungsoo. "You, outside. You're going to be the jack-of-all-trades now, aren't you?"

"Woah," Junmyeon paused to watch Mr. Kim, "That's not his job."

"It is now." Mr. Kim grabbed Kyungsoo's arm.

"You really think-" Jongin lifted his head up gently to watch the interaction.

"It's okay." Kyungsoo cut the injured male off mid-sentence. He didn't want to cause any issues. Plus, he might be able to find an escape route if he looks around the building. "Just...feel better."

"You better be able to clean this up quickly, because we have guests coming soon." Mr. Kim pulled Kyungsoo towards the door.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Baekhyun stood up. "We should reschedule."

"It's Mr. Lee." Mr. Kim clarified. "We aren't canceling."

Red Force knew there was no point in arguing.

...

Kyungsoo had a strong stomach, he had to admit. He couldn't count the amount of times he had to butcher animals in the kitchens, but seeing the corpses of Tactix was a completely different thing. Kyungsoo knew Red Force didn't have good intentions, so he wondered if Tactix, and the other clans Red Force wanted to take down, were good. Was he helping the enemy? Kyungsoo thought about it, but it wasn't like he really had a choice in the matter.

Kyungsoo did the best he could, dragging around a heavy garbage bad along the way. He had seen a lot of the building. It gave him some ideas of where he could escape. Maybe another infiltration would distract everyone and give him time to escape.

Kyungsoo used a blood-stained rag to wipe up a few drops of blood when his eyes caught the moving curtains in front of one of the windows. Most of the other windows Kyungsoo checked had industrial locks that he couldn't even imagine picking. However, the window in front of him was slightly ajar. It could be his escape route. Kyungsoo had to act quickly, so he pulled as hard as he could on the rag until he heard it tear. He stuffed it into the bottom of the window frame and closed the window as much as he could. Hopefully it would work. He sighed and threw the remaining rag into the garbage bag and tied the top of the bag. Kyungsoo saw where the disposal room was earlier, so he made his way over.

On his way, Kyungsoo overheard voices from one of the rooms. It sounded like Mr. Lee.

"It will work." The voice spoke.

Kyungsoo looked through the crack in the door to see Mr. Lee leaning against a bookshelf. The room looked to be a study, but Kyungsoo's line of sight was too limited to be positive.

"We've put too much into this." Another voice said. Kyungsoo immediately recognized the voice. Mr. Lee was speaking with Mr. Kim.

"They're so fucking stupid." Mr. Lee grinned. "They really thought they could surpass us?"

"No kidding. I've been their servant for far too long." Mr. Kim responded. "We have been putting on a good show, though."

"Definitely." Mr. Lee nodded.

"They wouldn't be able to be in control. I mean, they're weak. Kai already got hurt and Suho was seconds away from finding you." Mr. Kim responded. Kyungsoo didn't know what those names meant, but he could gather that they belonged to Jongin and another Red Force member.

"So, are we finishing them off first, or are we getting Tactix?" Mr. Lee crossed his arms.

"Let's try the plan tonight. Even if it doesn't work, we can get a better idea of what to do. Besides, there isn't much staff left to do much. The others didn't put up much of a fight." Kyungsoo could hear the excitement in Mr. Kim's voice.

"Alright, then." Mr. Lee clapped his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road."

Kyungsoo saw Mr.Lee walking towards the door, so he quickly bolted down the hall, although the bag was holding him back.

"What are you doing over here?" Mr. Kim's voice boomed from behind him.

Kyungsoo quickly turned around and looked at him and Mr. Lee.

"Cleaning. Like you told me to." Kyungsoo coolly said. "Should be good now, Mr. Kim."

Mr. Kim eyed Kyungsoo incredulously.

"Get to the kitchen." Mr. Kim quickly said. "Three course meal and wine with desser. Don't include tomatoes. I fucking hate them."

"Sure." Kyungsoo responded and didn't wait for a response before leaving. He dumped the bag into the disposal room and went to his room to change before cooking.

When he opened the door, he wasn't expecting Jongin to still be in the room. He looked much better. Jongin sat at the edge of the bed and smiled at Kyungsoo when he walked in.

"Are you okay?" Kyungsoo asked as he made his way to the dresser.

"A lot better, thanks." Jongin followed Kyungsoo with his eyes. "I meant to get up earlier, but the medicine hasn't taken effect yet."

"It's no problem. I'm sure it's a little different here than wherever you stay." Kyungsoo opened one of the drawers of the dresser.

"Yeah..." Jongin breathed out. "I had no idea the employees were treated like this."

Kyungsoo refrained from rolling his eyes at the term 'servants' he remembered Mr. Kim called him earlier while he pulled a navy-blue dress shirt out of the drawer.

"Yeah." Kyungsoo said. "Not a place where I necessarily thought I would end up."

"You really don't remember how you got here?" Jongin questioned. He watched Kyungsoo unbutton his blood-stained shirt.

"No." Kyungsoo shook his head. "I feel like none of it is true." He responded. "And you don't know how I got here, either?"

"You're a well-known chef and we acquired you. I'm clearly not the number one person in charge of Red Force. Sehun and I are the youngest, so we usually don't get to know too much." Jongin spoke.

Kyungsoo buttoned up his clean shirt and walked over to Jongin.

"Mr. Kim told me my parents sold me to you guys, but that doesn't make sense. My parents died when I was a child. There's no way that's possible. And I know I wouldn't choose to come here and have everything taken away from me." Kyunsoo said. Jongin continued to watch him, charcoal colored makeup creased around his eyes.

"Well," Jongin finally said, "Maybe different worlds collided and here you are. I always thought there was more to the world that Exoplanet."

Kyungsoo slowly blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You know, other worlds. I'm sure there's another you and another me out there." Jongin furrowed a brow.

"No, not that part. Exoplanet?" Kyungsoo responded.

"Umm, yeah? You know, that little planet that gravitates in space where we live?"

"You mean Earth?" Kyungsoo massaged his temple.

"What are you talking about?" Jongin looked more confused than Kyungsoo.

"Okay, never mind." Kyungsoo needed more time to think. "I have to go cook for the dinner. I need to tell you that you have to be careful. I overheard some things and I don't think you can trust Mr. Kim, either. Just be wary of everything tonight."

"What did you hear?" Jongin stood up.

"I think there's more to Mr. Kim than meets the eye. He’s capable of more than I initially thought." Kyungsoo lowered his voice. "He was saying he-"

Suddenly, the door of Kyungsoo's room slammed open and Mr. Kim appeared. He stormed towards Kyungsoo and grabbed harshly at his arm.

"What did I tell you? Mr. Lee is coming and I expect you to do what I told you to do." Mr. Kim tightened his grip on Kyungsoo's forearm.

"He was just changing, Mr. Kim." Jongin glared at Mr. Kim. "You don't have to be so aggressive. I was recovering in here and we crossed paths. Hehelped me."

"Is that so?" Mr. Kim raised a brow. "Well, in that case, go ahead and get ready, Jongin. Be down in two hours."

"Sure." Jongin brushed past Mr. Kim and left the room.

Mr. Kim practically threw Kyungsoo into the kitchen. Kyungsoo wanted so badly to spite Mr. Kim and tell everyone what happened at the table, but he knew it wasn't smart. If Mr. Kim snuck Mr. Lee in earlier, there's no saying that no one else was waiting there to take Red Force out. He didn't know the plan Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee had, so Kyungsoo was on edge.

Kyungsoo prepared the meals, making sure to use tomatoes in one of the appetizers. It was petty, but Kyungsoo wanted to make Mr. Kim's night a little bit worse.

.

Kyungsoo was finishing up the dessert when he heard everyone gather in the dining room. When Mr. Kim came into the kitchen to get him, Kyungsoo brought out the appetizers.

"Oh, wow." Chanyeol eyed one of the platters. "What is it?"

Kyungsoo smiled as he set out the platters. "The one of the left is a French appetizer called caviar canapés and the right are caprese puffs."

Chanyeol plopped one of the caprese puffs off of the platter and tried it.

"No wonder you're a chef, this is incredible." Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo a thumbs-up.

"Thanks!" Kyungsoo beamed. "The special ingredient is tomatoes." Kyungsoo side-eyed Mr. Kim. "Well, I'll leave you be until you're reading for the main course."

Kyungsoo quickly went back into the kitchen and waited until they were done with their appetizers. He could over hear Mr. Lee's over-the-top voice cracking bad jokes and Junmyeon forcibly laughing at them. Mr. Lee was the type of person to gloat about anything, and Kyungsoo heard plenty of that, too.

Before Mr. Kim came to get him, Kyungsoo brought out the main dish and ignored less than welcomed comments from Mr. Lee. The guy made Kyungsoo have chills down his spine. 

Kyungsoo tried to distract himself as much as possible before he had to bring out the desserts. Mr. Kim had instructed him to bring wine, so he had a platter ready for when he was finished serving the desserts.

As Kyungsoo was serving, Mr. Kim wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up.

"I'll be right back." Mr. Kim said. "I got some fancy chocolates delivered from Belgium and wanted to have them with the wine."

Kyungsoo was suspicious, especially after overhearing Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee's conversation earlier, so he hurriedly served the desserts.

Mr. Lee placed his hand on Kyungsoo's when Kyungsoo served the male.

"So, you're pretty good at this whole cooking thing." Mr. Lee said. Kyungsoo knew it was a distraction.

"Um, thanks." Kyungsoo pulled his hand away.

"You'll have to come over to my place sometime and cook for me privately." Mr. Lee smirked.

"I don't know if you remembered or not, but I am kind of stuck here." Kyungsoo responded. "I'll go help with the wine."

As Kyungsoo was about to head into the kitchen, Mr. Kim exited with two glasses of wine.

"Oh, I couldn't grab the rest. You'll have to get them. These are for me and Mr. Lee." Mr. Kim grinned.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen. When he saw the wine glasses, he took note of the bubbling tablet in the liquid. Kyungsoo wasn't an idiot. It was clearly a drug of some sort. Either it was lethal, or whatever Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim would do to the unconscious clan was.

Kyungsoo had to think quickly. He picked up the platter and made it halfway through the door before "tripping" and spilling the drinks all over the platter, and some on the ground.

"Oh no, how foolish of me." Kyungsoo calmly said. "Let me go get Red Force some fresh wine and I'll be right back."

Kyungsoo set the platter down and poured new glasses of wine before bringing them out to Red Force.

"So sorry for that." Kyungsoo held the empty platter to his chest. "I'll be sure to clean up the glass. I hope that wine wasn't too expensive."

.

"I'll see Mr. Lee out." Mr. Kim quickly eyed Red Force before taking his jacket from the coat rack.

Once Kyungsoo saw that Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim were gone, he went into the dining room.

"You're a mess, aren't you?" Jongdae joked.

"You should have seen Mr. Lee's face. He looked so pissed." Sehun chuckled.

"I don't know why, it's not like he had to clean it up." Junmyeon shrugged.

"That guy is such a creep. I swear, he wants to jump our chef's bones." Baekhyun elbowed Chanyeol and they both grinned.

"Believe it or not, but I did that on purpose." Kyungsoo eyed the door before focusing back on Red Force. "He put something in your drinks. I saw it when I went back in there."

"Wait, what?" Jongdae questioned.

"I have to make this quick, but they're working with each other and against you." Kyungsoo spoke. "While cleaning earlier, I overheard them. They're planning on taking you guys out and taking control instead of you guys, Red Foce, instead. They want you and the rest of Tactix out. They have put on quite an act, but they're serious about it. Mr. Lee was hiding out here the whole time. One of you, Suho, apparently almost found him."

"I did?" Junmyeon questioned. "He must have been in the library. That's where I went looking for Jongin."

"You have to be careful. They could do something at any point." Kyungsoo took in a deep breath. "Also, Mr. Kim was the one that killed your staff. I don't know why he kept me. Maybe he would pin your deaths on me, I don't know."

"But, why are you telling us this?" Sehun questioned. "We are trying to do the same thing he is."

"I, well, I don't really know." Kyungsoo responded. "I've always been the kind of person to try and do the right thing. I don't know if this is necessarily the right thing, but you guys aren't like him, so I hope so. You mostly treated the staff like humans, unlike him."

Baekhyun nodded his head, mostly to himself. "We need a game plan. It's difficult with Mr. Kim around."

"Oh, and thanks for telling us." Chanyeol said. "I mean, you probably see us as bad guys, too."

"I think there's more to you than meets the eye." Kyungsoo responded.

"Mr. Kim is probably going to be suspicious of you now." Jongin bit his lip in concentration. "That's risky."

"Dude, he's working for us. He goes before we do." Jongdae murmured. "That's how it's always been."

"He kind of just risked himself for us right now. Mr. Kim is probably seething right now." Sehun said.

Kyungsoo knew this wasn't his real life, so he didn't know what the consequences would be if he got hurt in the world he was in.

"It's fine." Kyungsoo responded, earning stares from all of the Red Force members. "Like you said, you guys first."

"You make it sound so harsh." Baekhyun responded.

"Because it is harsh." Jongin looked at Baekhyun.

"Yeah, if you're going to say he's expendable, at least say it in the other room." Sehun whistled. "Just saying."

"It's not like being here is living in luxury, in case you hadn't gathered that." Kyungsoo ran a hand through his hair. "Just do what you need to do."

Obviously, Kyungsoo didn't want to die, but he was sure he could try and escape while Red Force was hatching their plan. All he needed was a little time.

"That's-" Junmyeon stopped talking when the front door opened, "That's why you have to be more careful. You don't know how expensive those glasses were."

Mr. Kim hummed in affirmation.

"Let's head out." Baekhyun stood up from the table. "He can clean this up."

Mr. Kim seemed pleased enough. He made his way down the hall with the Red Force members not far behind. Baekhyun gave Kyungsoo a thumbs-up before leaving.

When Kyungsoo turned back around, Chanyeol and Jongin were getting up from the table and making their was towards him.

"Sorry about the harshness." Chanyeol said. "We've always had a rule that we come first. It feels a little different this time around since you're not like anyone else who has worked here."

"I can't really blame them." Kyungsoo crossed his arms. "In your eyes, you're number one and everything around you can be destroyed if that means you can remain at the top."

"It's what we need to do to reach our goal." Chanyeol nodded.

"But you don't think it's a little messed up to speak like that? We'd be dead, or close to that, right now if it wasn't for him. He was trying to explain it to me earlier, but Mr. Kim came in." Jongin said to Chanyeol.

"He was already suspicious of me. I'm pretty sure he knows I overheard something." Kyungsoo responded. "There isn't much I can do to save myself at this point. Plus, he has a thing for killing your employees."

"Damn." Chanyeol breathed out. "Well, I know Jongin and I are on the same wavelength and we are going to talk to the guys. Surely they'll understand."

"It's hard for them to trust. Mr. Kim may be Jongdae's cousin, but that doesn't mean Jongdae doesn't accept the truth of who his cousin is. I think we are all wary after losing two members of Red Force."

Kyungsoo's eyes widened. "There were more of you?"

Chanyeol nodded. "They were great guys. We called them Xiumin and Lay. They got taken out by a smaller clan when they took them up on their own."

"I...I'm really sorry to hear that." Kyungsoo didn't know what to say.

"It was especially hard on Jongdae, but he's gotten better. I know the guys don't want to see anything happen to you." Jongin placed a comforting hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder. "Don't worry and get some rest, okay?"

Kyungsoo nodded and the two members offered him a small smile before leaving. He was curious about the members that were killed. Who were they?

.

Kyungsoo woke up extra early the next day. He wanted to find the library and possibly get more information on Red Force. If he asked the members themselves, they would obviously be biased.

Kyungsoo quietly opened his room door and crept through the halls. It took some time to find the library but, when he rounded the corner on the second floor, he found ornate doors that led to a library practically the size of his apartment in Seoul. Kyungsoo looked around until his eyes landed on a laptop. He made his way over and opened the laptop. Luckily, there was no passcode, so Kyungsoo was able to start searching.

The first thing Kyungsoo looked up was 'Red Force' and hundreds of thousands of articles came up. Kyungsoo found out that they are allegedly worse than he imagined. A lot of the articles stated that they single-handedly took our three quarters of the past government officials. They weren't kidding when they said they would do whatever they could to be in power. He didn't exactly know what their endgame was and if they genuinely thought they could run the country better, or if they wanted to have everyone work for them...much like Kyungsoo did.

One article that came up made Kyungsoo raise a brow. The title was about the murders of Xiumin and Lay. He opened the article and Kyungsoo's jaw dropped. The images that came up looked just like Minseok and Yixing. Of course, there were a few differences like their hair colors, eye colors, and some facial markings. However, Kyungsoo knew those faces. It didn't make sense to Kyungsoo. Was there truly a clone of everyone and said clone lived in a different world? Kyungsoo always thought of it as some weird conspiracy theory. Kyungsoo heard about the version of himself in whatever world he was in now, but there was no sign of him before Kyungsoo got to ‘Exoplanet’.

The more articles Kyungsoo read through, the more confused he felt. It was no doubt that Red Force was pure evil at that point. He had read enough to make his stomach turn. The other clans were no better, either. Kyungsoo didn't know what to do. He knew the world Red Force was in was different. Maybe the country was running differently, as well, and Red Force thought they could create a better version of it.

Kyungsoo closed the laptop and continued to look around the library. As he walked by some shelves, he felt a slight breeze on his ankle. Kyungsoo backed away from the shelves and examined it. There seemed to be a small gap under the shelves, which could only mean a secret door. Kyungsoo examined the books on the shelf and the shelf itself. He felt a small notch when he ran his fingers along the top of the shelves in the second row and pressed into it. Surely, the shelves opened up to reveal a room.

Kyungsoo cautiously entered the room. It was illuminated by fluorescent lights and had a pathway that led to a leather chair in front of over a dozen screens. Each screen showed something different. Some showed dilapidated buildings that were held together by rusted metal and chipped concrete. Others showed robotic creatures that were in the middle of causing more destruction.

Kyungsoo made a mental note to come back and look at the screens some more; he couldn't risk being caught. He closed the secret door and cautiously made his way out of the library. He couldn't get the images he saw out of his head. Was that really what was happening in the world, or was he still in some nightmare?

Kyungsoo was so in his thoughts that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings until he felt the sleeve of his shirt being pulled and he was pushed into his room. Kyungsoo couldn't see who it was, but he felt himself get pushed into the wall and a hand placed over his mouth.

"Don't worry," A familiar voice said, "It's just me."

Jongin.

"I came in here to check on you and I couldn't find you. I freaked out because, well, you know," Jongin paused, "And luckily found you, presumably uninjured." He removed his hand from Kyungsoo's mouth.

"Why would I be injured?" Kyungsoo questioned. "Because of Mr. Kim?"

"Kind of." Jongin whispered back, still keeping Kyungsoo firmly in place. "He isn't part of the clan, but he is in charge of finding us some employees and things like that. I heard some people come in this morning. It looks like there are three more people working here now as employees. If Mr. Kim chose them while he's suspicious of you, so I'm sure they are working with him."

"If that's the case, shouldn't you let me go?" Kyungsoo said. "I've told you everything I can. There isn't much else to do."

Kyungsoo couldn't see in the darkness, but Jongin shook his head. "I can't." He said. "You were sold to us. Plus, he would find you. Do you really think you could make it out of here alive?"

"I'd rather die trying." Kyungsoo plainly said.

Jongin sighed. "The point I'm trying to make is that we all need to be extra careful now. I have a feeling Red Force isn't going to be getting a lot of privacy due to the situation. You have to be careful, too."

"I appreciate that you're looking out for me, but...why?" Kyungsoo asked. "None of you have cared about any past employees, so why me?"

"Um," Jongin hesitated, "I don't know. There's something about you. You seem really grounded and I guess I kind of like you." He said. "I mean, we all do...I think."

"Oh." Kyungsoo responded. "You're pretty alright, too. For someone allegedly evil."

Jongin chuckled. "Thanks." He said. "Also, let's keep a lot of this between us. The rest of the guys are cool, but I know they don't really feel exactly the same way I do. You're just another employee to some of them."

If the lights had been on, Kyungsoo would have been able to see how close in proximity Jongin was to him. The only indication in the dark was Jongin's palm placed firmly on the wall next to Kyungsoo's head.

"I should probably go." Kyungsoo said. "Mr. Kim will be pissed if I don't start cooking."

"Alright." Kyungsoo could feel Jongin's breath on his skin. "I'll see you later."

Once Jongin left, Kyungsoo went to the kitchen and started cooking. When he was finished, he was surprised to see Mr. Kim entering the kitchen and telling him he would help him take the food out.

"Just go get the chilled glasses out of the freezer and I'll start bringing these over." Mr. Kim picked up one of the trays Kyungsoo had out.

"Wine? For breakfast?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Did I stutter?" Mr. Kim looked at Kyungsoo with a raised brow. "Fine." He finally said. "We can make them mimosas. Happy?"

Kyungsoo turned to face the freezers and rolled his eyes. He opened the heavy doors and made his way inside. He examined the shelves and even went to the racks of frozen meat to check around there. He didn't see any glasses. Maybe Mr. Kim forgot.

Kyungsoo went back to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.

"Shit." Kyungsoo breathed out. He pushed on the door harder. No luck.

Kyungsoo attempted to look out of the frosted window of the walk-in freezer and could make out the kitchen. There was no one inside. He had no idea how he was going to get out.

.

Kyungsoo was getting cold, really cold. He wasn't dressed for the temperature, as he wasn't expecting to be stuck in a freezer. He hugged himself to conserve heat.

Just when Kyungsoo felt like he couldn't handle the cold anymore, he heard the door of the freezer open.

"Oh my God." Chanyeol hurried in. "He's here, Jongin."

Jongin followed Chanyeol in and helped Kyungsoo walk out of the freezer.

"We searched everywhere." Jongin took off his jacket and put it on Kyungsoo. Chanyeol went to the kettle and began to heat up some water. "When you didn't serve us, we thought something was up."

"I would ask if you locked yourself in but, I think that," Chanyeol pointed at the bar that was barricading the door, hence why Kyungsoo couldn't open the freezer door, "Answers that for us."

"Are you feeling okay? Should I get you something else?" Jongin looked genuinely worried when he met Kyungsoo's eyes.

"It's okay." Kyungsoo managed to shake his head. "Sorry."

"What? Why are you sorry?" Jongin rubbed Kyungsoo's arms to keep him warm.

"This shouldn't be one of your concerns. Looking out for me, I mean." Kyungsoo said.

"Then who is going to make us some of the best food I've ever had? Can't have you dying on us." Chanyeol grinned, earning a glare from Jongin. "Sorry."

"Is everyone okay?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Yeah. The new staff is around and acting really strange. We have to sneak around our own residence, which is something I never thought I would have to do." Jongin sat next to Kyungsoo on the floor of the kitchen. Kyungsoo watched Chanyeol fiddle with the kettle.

"Hey...what's going on in the world? What exactly has the government done?" Kyungsoo questioned.

"So, you really don't know." Jongin spoke quietly. "Well, there are these...things. Think RD-D2, but evil and a million times worse. They're called RF-05, not to be confused with Red Force, and they have essentially destroyed some of the country to rebuild and create a, and I say this very sarcastically, better world for the citizens. Sure, maybe they have to destroy to rebuild, but we know we can make it better. It's in our nature to kill and destroy anything in our way and we will do just that."

"We need to circumvent whatever is happening, so we can build off of what was destroyed. Honestly, since when has anyone in the world done anything for us? They're selfish and all they do is take. Well, it's our turn now." Chanyeol brought a mug of tea over to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo could only shake his head. He didn't know anything about the world he was in, but he knew Red Force's "solution" wasn't feasible.

"I'll be right back." Chanyeol said. "Let me scope the area."

When Chanyeol left, Jongin turned to Kyungsoo and frowned.

"You're unhappy with our plans. It's to be expected, but I wish you were for it." Jongin said.

"I'm not like you guys." Kyungsoo took a drink of his tea. "I don't want to see people hurt. Maybe if I knew what kind of person I was here in this world and who I was going to lose in the process, I would be even more against it. You guys will just do whatever you want. There's no point in being upset you can't please me."

"But I want to." Jongin responded. "I don't know why, but I find myself trying to seek your approval."

"Don't bother." Kyungsoo wasn't trying to sound harsh. Jongin was the kindest one out of all of Red Force. Chanyeol was nice to Kyungsoo, too, but he was more set in his ways and Kyungsoo couldn't agree with him. "I'm stuck here. I'm your chef, what I think won't matter to you."

"You matter to me, though." Jongin eyed Kyungsoo, an honest expression on his face.

"Why?" Kyungsoo furrowed his brow.

"I don't know. I like you." Jongin said.

"You are my favorite out of Red Force." Kyungsoo whispered. "Don't tell anyone." He grinned.

"Got it." Jongin grinned back. "But, I think I like you more than I should."

Was Jongin insinuating what Kyungsoo thought he was? Jongin was undoubtedly attractive, but being a captive for Red Force wasn't necessarily a great way to find romance.

"Hey," Chanyeol opened the door of the kitchen, "We should head to the meeting room. Looks like the new employees are coming this way. Kyungsoo, you should go somewhere and avoid Mr. Kim."

"Got it." Kyungsoo took the hand Chanyeol was extending to help him up. "I'll see you guys."

When Kyungsoo exited the kitchen, Chanyeol put his hands on his hips and looked at Jongin.

"You've gotta stop looking at him like that. If Mr. Kim and company sees that, there's no saying what they'll do."

"I'm that obvious?" Jongin eyed Chanyeol, shocked. "There's no way."

"Yes there is because it's quite obvious to me." Chanyeol chuckled. "Come on."

...

Kyungsoo opted for staying in his room until night time. He was going to try and escape around midnight. Things were getting more complicated and he couldn't risk it. Staying would do more harm than good.

When Kyungsoo checked the clock in his room and noticed it was nearly midnight, he crept towards the door. When Kyungsoo turned the knob and opened the door, he nearly jumped when he saw Mr. Kim smiling down at him.

"Going somewhere?" Mr. Kim asked, holding the fabric that Kyungsoo had put into the window frame to escape.

"I'm not allowed to go get some water?" Kyungsoo crossed his arms. "I've done it before at night." He lied.

"Come with me." Mr. Kim grabbed Kyungsoo's wrist and pulled him into the kitchen. "I'm going to need you to prepare all of the meals for tomorrow. Right now."

"Why?" Kyungsoo furrowed his brow.

"Do it. I know how to cause you pain without leaving any marks if you don't." Mr. Kim tightened his grip on Kyungsoo's wrist while he reached into his pocket with his other hand. From his pocket, Mr. Kim pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed them to one of the pipes on the wall.

"How can I cook with one hand?" Kyungsoo knew there was no way he could get out of the handcuffs, especially with Mr. Kim watching.

"Figure it out. I don't care if it takes all night." Mr. Kim responded.

Kyungsoo spent the next few hours cooking. He didn't know why since he had stayed up longer before, but he knew that he was beyond exhausted. So exhausted that he nearly put his hand on the stovetop whilst cooking.

When he was done, Mr. Kim uncuffed the handcuff on the pipe and brought Kuyngsoo back into his room. He put the cuff on the bed frame.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kyungsoo questioned.

"That's where you're going to stay." Mr. Kim rolled his eyes. "Don't even bother yelling because no one will be able to hear you. Also, I hope you don't need the bathroom."

Before Kyungsoo could respond, Mr. Kim closed his room door, but not before locking it.

...

Kyungsoo must have fallen asleep at one point because he woke up on the floor, arm sore from the position his wrist was in due to the handcuff. Kyungsoo examined the bed frame. It was iron, but it didn't look very strong. It was easier to process the situation the next day, as it wasn't dark like it was when he was first handcuffed to the frame. Kyungsoo pushed the frame with his legs and steadied his cuffed wrist with his free arm. It seemed like the frame would eventually give, but Kyungsoo didn't know when.

While Kyungsoo pushed and pulled against the rusty frame, he wondered who the last person to live in the room was and what happened to them. He could end up like them. It didn't matter how Jongin, or Red Force, thought about him. If he got in their way, or was caught escaping, Kyungsoo wouldn't survive.

Hours seemed to have passed before the part of the bed the handcuffs were attached to gave. It left the smallest opening, but Kyungsoo would be able to free himself.

Right before he could remove the cuff from the pole, Kyungsoo heard the door unlock. He quickly poisitioned himself in front of the small opening and tried his best to disguise what he had been working so hard to do.

When the door opened, Kyungsoo saw someone he had never met. It must have been one of the new 'employees', although they didn't dress anything like the past ones. They were working for Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim, anyone could tell that much.

"Ah, you're Kyungsoo." The male came into the room and closed the door behind him. "Call me Mr. Oh."

"Nah, I'm good." Kyungsoo watched Mr. Oh pull a chair out from the pile of junk in Kyungsoo's room and position it to face Kyungsoo.

"Comfortable?" Mr. Oh grinned.

"Incredibly so." Kyungsoo plastered a fake smile on his face. "Thanks so much for asking."

Mr. Oh rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. At least he was too focused on whatever game he was playing to bother Kyungsoo.

.

Kyungsoo had kept checking on Mr. Oh and noticed he fell asleep, but he wanted him to be out of it for a bit longer before he tried to make his way out. Finally, Kyungsoo slowly got up and removed the handcuff from the iron bar as quietly as he could.

Once he succeeded, Kyungsoo could barely make out Mr. Oh's phone on the ground next to the sleeping man but he took it, as well as one of the new suit jackets they gave Kyungsoo. He tried to hide the phone as well as he could inside the interior pockets of the jacket before he left the room.

Kyungsoo quietly exited the room. He made his way to the same window he put the cloth into. He knew Mr. Kim had taken it out, but there was a possibility he could still open it.

Kyungsoo finally reached the window and attempted to pull it up. He had to be careful to not hit the free cuff against anything, or else he would produce noise and possibly get caught.

When he heard a soft 'clank' against the window, Kyungsoo cursed and began to retreat to his room, only to remember that Mr. Oh was in there. He was especially reminded when he saw the lights turn on from inside of his room when he looked at the bottom of the door frame.

Kyungsoo dashed into the kitchen and used the other door that led into the dining room to hide in there. The front door wasn't far. He could try and make it. He was against the wall of the door, so even if someone came in, he could take them out from behind, which was exactly what he figured he needed to do when he saw Mr. Oh enter the room, fashioning a kitchen knife in his left hand.

In a quick attempt to get away from him, Kyungsoo groped the wall behind him to reach Mr. Oh and swung the handcuffs as hard as he could into the back of Mr. Oh's head, causing him to drop the knife.

"What the fuck?" Mr. Oh squinted in pain before tackling Kyungsoo to the ground and punching him wherever he could reach. Kyungsoo used all of his strength to raise his leg and kick Mr. Oh in the chest.

Mr. Oh fell back and Kyungsoo took the knife and used the butt of it to hit Mr. Oh in the head until the male passed out. He chucked the knife across the room and made it to the front door.

Just as he reached for the handle, Kyungsoo felt a pair of hands grab him and a needle prick in the neck.

...

"Hey." Jongin knocked softly on Junmyeon's bedroom door. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Junmyeon's voice said in a much more loud tone. Jongin figured he would still be awake.

"The crash downstairs. The door opening." Jongin responded.

"Mr. Kim said Mr. Lee was stopping by for something." Junmyeon said back. "Go to sleep, Jongin."

Jongin obliged, but he felt uneasy. He hadn't seen Kyungsoo all day and none of Red Force was allowed near his room.

The next morning was no different. Red Force went downstairs and Jongin wasn't surprised to not see Kyungsoo. Instead, they were served less than satisfactory meals from one of the suited men Mr. Kim hired.

"What the hell is this?" Jongdae scowled at the man. "I know our chef didn't make this. He would be killed if he did." Jongin knew he wasn't joking.

"He's sick." Another man who Jongin vaguely recognized as Mr. Oh came into the room.

"What happened to you?" Sehun questioned. "You look like you got your ass handed to you."

"I did not!" Mr. Oh raised his voice. "I fell."

Baekhyun snickered. "Sure."

"Where's Mr. Kim?" Chanyeol asked.

"He's going to be out for a few days." Mr. Oh responded. "Yang and myself will be watching over you. Mr. Kim took Mr. Suh with him."

"Let me tell you something, you work for us. We don't work for you." Baekhyun stopped poking at the rubbery meat placed it front of him and watched the other man, Yang, pace around the room. "If we ask questions, we get answers."

"You should start off by telling us what is going on." Junmyeon responded. "Your face is black and blue and you have a sling. How did you fall because you aren't really believable."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I don't work for you." Mr. Oh said.

"Yes, you do." Jongdae shook his head. "Mr. Kim is my cousin and even he works for us. So, therefore, you work for us. If you don't give us answers, we will get them. It's not like we need you guys around, considering you're apparently not our employees and the others were basically all killed."

"I wouldn't advise touching me." Mr. Oh pulled out one of the chairs across from the group and sat down.

"Advise all you want." Baekhyun interjected. "Doesn't change anything." He turned to Jongdae. "Go ahead, Chen."

"Sure."

In a blink of an eye, Mr. Oh was on the ground quickly bleeding out.

"Sit down." Chanyeol looked at Yang. "Or you'll end up like him."

Yang reluctantly sat down Jongin got up.

"Keep him there. I'll check out the house." Jongin said.

Luckily, no one else was there that worked for Mr. Kim. Unfortunately, Kyungsoo wasn't in his room and Jongin noted the bed was pushed away from it's normal position.

"Kyungsoo's not here." Jongin went back into the dining room.

"Whatever." Junmyeon looked from Yang to Jongin. "We will figure it out later."

"What do you mean 'whatever'? You really don't care?" Jongin glared at Junmyeon.

"He was an employee." Sehun responded. "It doesn't matter too much. We have to protect ourselves first."

"He didn't even want to be here." Jongdae shrugged. "He was fine, but it's not a big deal. However, if they did kill him, I'm going to be pissed. We are the ones that decide which of our employees survive or not."

"Do you hear yourselves?" Jongin angrily questioned.

"Jongin's right." Chanyeol said. "We wouldn't have known of anything Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee were doing if it wasn't for Kyungsoo. Maybe Jongin and I know more than all of you, but that guy really saved our asses."

"Is he dead?" Jongin briskly walked up to Yang and grabbed his collar.

"You care that much?" Yang raised a brow.

"Tell me." Jongin gritted his teeth.

"Nah." Yang shook his head and smirked. "Might want to keep me around to get more information, don't you think? If you don't, he might rot away or catch the eye of someone else. I know Mr. Lee is fond of him."

"Kill him." Jongin let go of his collar and began to exit the room. "Suit up. I know where he is."

...

Kyungsoo's eyes slowly opened, eyelids heavy. His vision was slightly blurry, but he could see enough to know that he wasn't in his room. He mustered up almost all of his strength to stand and had to quickly hold onto the wall behind him to avoid falling back down. He felt horrible.

The room he was in was even worse than his at the Red Force residence, if that was even possible. It smelled musty and was dimly lit. It felt like a jail cell, and may just as well have been.

Almost as if it was on cue, the door to the room he was in opened and Mr. Lee emerged, to Kyungsoo's surprise. He thought it would be Mr. Kim.

"I would suggest staying right there, Mr. Do." Mr. Lee clasped his hands together. "Do you like your new clothes? You look nice."

Kyungsoo hadn't had time to notice he was dressed in something different. He reached up to touch his hair to find that it was styled. Kyungsoo couldn't see himself in the mirror, but he knew he was wearing a deep purple button-up with slacks and leather dress shoes. He was confused.

"Why am I wearing this?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Because you work for me now, and I can dress and use you how I want." Mr. Lee smiled.

"I don't work for you." Kyungsoo shook his head. "I work for Red Force."

As much as he hated to admit it, he did indeed work for the clan.

"You really think they're going to survive what we have planned?" Mr. Lee tilted his head and eyed Kyungsoo. Everything about the male was condescending.

"Depends what you have planned." Kyungsoo crossed his arms.

"As we speak, the building is about to be infiltrated. They're not going to survive, especially since we captured one of the RF-05 robots and are using it to our benefit." Mr. Lee responded.

Kyungsoo was lucky the robots were explained to him by Jongin, as he had no recollection of the past.

"Last time I checked, Red Force had no problem taking out anything in their way. You, on the other hand, aren't really succeeding in that. I've overheard you and Mr. Kim. You guys are really shitty at being evil." Kyungsoo grinned.

"I wouldn't be talking like that if I were you." Mr. Lee grinned back at Kyungsoo. "Considering your life is in my hands."

"Oh, please." Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you."

"That's good." Mr. Lee put his hand in his pocket and revealed the phone Kyungsoo had taken from Mr. Oh. "Thanks for this, by the way. How did you manage to get it?"

"When I killed Mr. Oh." Kyungsoo lied.

"Really?" Mr. Lee chuckled. "I'll have my guys make sure of that when they take out Red Force."

"You know, if you really wanted to take everyone out, you could have left me there to die." Kyungsoo said.

"I know, I know." Mr. Lee pocketed the phone. "You just knew too much and we thought it would be fun to torture you a little bit, you know? If you were there, we would have to get rid of you quickly and that's no fun." He pouted. "Plus, your attitude is quite charming."

"Gross." Kyungsoo tried not to make an expression of disgust.

"Ah, there you two are." Mr. Kim appeared next to Mr. Lee.

"You want to grab him, or should I?' Mr. Lee asked.

"I got it." Mr. Kim walked towards Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo truly felt like he had nothing to lose, given the position he was in. If they were going to kill him, he may as well put up a fight. Red Force could probably handle whatever situation was coming their way, but they wouldn't come for him. They were a clan that had goals to kill anything and take the world into their own hands. Kyungsoo was an involuntary chef for them. He never asked for the situation he was in.

When Mr. Kim reached for Kyungsoo's wrist, Kyungsoo mustered up some of the strength he got back and shoved the male back as hard as he could. It caught Mr. Kim off guard, which gave Kyungsoo a chance to kick him in the stomach.

Mr. Lee took note and headed towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo pushed past Mr. Lee and ran out the door.

"Don't worry," Mr. Lee's voice said from the room, "He can't get far."

Kyungsoo ran through the building he was in. It was unfamiliar and he had no idea where he could exit.

Unfortunately, the hallway he was in seemed to last forever, which gave a wide range for Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim.   
Kyungsoo felt a warmth radiate through his right side, but his adrenaline allowed him to push away most signs of pain, and the chef continued to run. He finally rounded a corner and was met with stairs going up and stairs going down. Kyungsoo opted in the stairs to the lower level and made his way down.

The downstairs seemed more like a basement. It was darker, which would hopefully benefit Kyungsoo.

Suddenly, a blaring alarm filled the building and Kyungsoo heard rapid footsteps from the floor above him. He had no idea what was happening, but didn't want to wait to find out.

As Kyungsoo slowed down, he noticed an iron bar on the ground in a pile of debris and picked it up. He didn't know what he would need it for, but it would surely come in handy.

Kyungsoo found a hidden area and slowly sank to the ground. The pain in his side was getting intense. It made sense, considering he looked down and noticed blood drenched his shirt. He heard Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim sending out gunshots, but he didn't expect one to hit him.

The alarms stop sounding, but the commotion upstairs was even louder than the alarms. Kyungsoo could hear an intense amount of different sounds from upstairs. He slowly got himself up. Maybe whatever distraction would give him time to escape.

"I knew following the blood would lead me to you." Mr. Kim emerged from the darkness. "Nice to see you."

Kyungsoo whipped around and swung the iron pipe without a second thought. Luckily, Mr. Kim wasn't expecting it and the pipe collided with his shoulder.

"Does that feel good?" Kyungsoo spat. "What is your problem? I have nothing to do with this."

"You see," Mr. Kim held his shoulder as he got up, "You're not wrong. You're irrelevant. You're nothing. Your parents didn't even put up a fight to keep you when we showed them a few won. It was embarrassing."

"You know what's pathetic?" Kyungsoo started. "All of this. You walked around like a dog with their tail in between their legs around Red Force. I bet you were just upset because you weren't one of them. It must be sad for you to watch your cousin succeed, huh?"

"I made them." Mr. Kim seethed.

"How?" Kyungsoo furrowed his brows. "All I've seen you do is gossip with Mr. Lee about the things you'll do, but will never actually execute."

"I told him I'd kill you." Mr. Kim responded. "And I'm going to do just that."

Mr. Kim reached for the gun on his hip, and Kyungsoo was quick to swing the bar again. It missed and Mr. Kim grabbed the other end of it. Kyungsoo lost his grip and Mr. Kim had Kyungsoo cornered. Kyungsoo could practically feel the bones in his arm shatter when Mr. Kim hit him with the bar. Kyungsoo relied on his hands to cook.

"Feels good, right?" Mr. Kim plastered a fake smile on his face. "I think that's the same thing you asked me."

Kyungsoo heard footsteps dashing down the stairs, only causing Mr. Kim's smile to grow larger.

"How does it feel to be one person against a clan, huh? Now you're really not making it out of here." Mr. Kim said.

In a matter of seconds, a sound of a gunshot filled the room and Mr. Kim's body fell onto him, causing Kyungsoo to fall with it.

"Kyungsoo, there you are." Jongin ran over.

"How...what?" Kyungsoo could only manage to say.

"When we came in, I saw Mr. Kim book it down the stairs and figured it may have something to do with you. Or...I hoped it had something to do with you. Sorry for the delay, there are a lot of guys up there and at our place." Jongin pulled Mr. Kim's body off of Kyungsoo.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo quietly said. "Go, though. It's not safe around here."

"You're coming with me." Jongin reached for Kyungsoo's hand.

"No." Kyungsoo responded. "It's broken."

"Oh my God." Jongin covered his mouth in shock. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Kyungsoo used his non-injured arm to push away Mr. Kim's arm that was across his torso to reveal the bullet wound.

"I'll be gentle." Jongin said. "You helped me when I was hurt. Let me help you."

"It's okay." Kyungsoo said. "Find your way out of here, please."

"No." Jongin said adamantly. "I'm not leaving without you."

Kyungsoo sighed. "At least help your clan before getting me. I'll be okay."

Jongin paused for a moment. "Okay." He finally said. "Please stay here."

Kyungsoo gave Jongin a small nod.

"I'm just your chef." Kyungsoo said. "Don't worry."

Jongin sounded exasperated. "You're not just that to me. Don't say that."

"It's the truth."

"It isn't. Look, this isn't the best place for this conversation, but...I don't know. There's something about you. I know I don't know you too well yet, but I'd like to." Jongin confessed. "I don't know how you feel about me, but I just wanted to tell you." He sighed. "Look, I knew who you were before all of this. I didn't personally know you, but I had kind of been infatuated. I wanted to get to know you. I, of course, never expected to meet you like this. But...I'm telling you the truth. Before all of this, I saw you in an interview on television. You were one of the youngest chefs opening their own restaurant and, since that, you never left my head. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"I-" Kyungsoo didn't know how to responded. "Wasn't expecting that. I'm not mad you didn't tell me, if that's why you're concerned."

Jongin's shoulders relaxed.

"I am forced to work for you. It's not like you had the time to tell me these things." Kyungsoo added. "But I was brought here out of my own volition. I'm a prisoner. I do like you, but I have no freedom."

"Then...I'll do something about it. If I make it out alive, I will fix this." Jongin said. "Can you trust me?" He asked.

"I can try." Kyungsoo responded. "You need to go help them, before it's too late."

"Right." Jongin got up from his crouched position. "Take his gun."

"Sure." Kyungsoo responded. He watched Jongin go up the stairs. Kyungsoo hadn't expected to have that conversation with Jongin. He did find himself thinking about the other male quite a bit, but he had just boiled it down to it being that he was the nicest one out of Red Force.

Before Kyungsoo started to feel worse, he forced himself up and towards the stairs. He ascended the stairs and into the main hall. It was a lot quieter. There were bodies strewn about. The imagery gave Kyungsoo enough adrenaline to quicken his pace. He used his good hand to grasp the gun. Kyungsoo didn't know why, but he was worried about Red Force. He wanted to make sure they were all okay.

Kyungsoo went up the next pair of stairs where there seemed to be more activity and kept an eye out. He went down the hall to his right and followed the sound of a familiar voice.

When Kyungsoo found the source of the sound, he poked his head through a partially open door and saw Baekhyun pinned against a wall, using all of his strength to push away the armed person holding him. The person's hand was around Baekhyun's neck, so strongly that Baekhyun's feet weren't touching the ground.

Kyungsoo had to be careful to not hurt Baekhyun. He noted that Baekhyun's head was turned to the left, so hopefully he could get the person on the right-hand side of their body.

Kyungsoo held the gun and tried to be as precise as he could with one hand to shoot the person. The gun went off and Kyungsoo watched Baekhyun be released, blood spatter speckling his face and hair.

"Kyungsoo?" Baekhyun looked to Kyungsoo in shock. "You...thank you." He said.

Kyungsoo nodded.

The person on the ground groaned. Kyungsoo had shot them in the side, but he knew he had to finish them off.

"Go." Kyungsoo said. "I'll finish this."

Baekhyun nodded in return and exited the room.

Kyungsoo raised the gun and pulled the trigger. Once finished, he did the best he could to take anyone out that could get in their way.

...

"Shit." Baekhyun dogged a bullet and sent one in the direction the other came from. He ran as quickly as he could.

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol called from a room ahead.

Baekhyun ran inside and Chanyeol slammed the door behind him. Inside were the rest of Red Force. They only had minor injuries, except for Jongdae, who had a deep wound on his temple.

"Kyungsoo...Kyungsoo just saved my life." Baekhyun said through heavy breaths.

"I think he took out a few others, too, since there were some dead in places none of us had gone yet." Junmyeon responded.

"I can't believe he did that." Sehun said. "He's pretty cool, huh?"

"We need to give him a raise." Chanyeol joked.

"Okay, let's get serious." Junmyeon said. "Any word on Mr. Lee and Mr. Kim?"

"Mr. Kim is dead." Jongin said. "Sorry, Jongdae."

"I don't give a shit." Jongdae responded. "He wasn't a person I liked to call family, anyway. I can't believe he sent those bastards to our place."

"And one of those robots." Jongin responded. "Got you pretty good."

"No kidding." Jongdae instinctively touched the wound on his head. "Oww."

"Don't touch it, idiot." Sehun reached for Jongdae's hand.

"Maybe we can use the parts, though. Of the RF-05, I mean." Baekhyun responded. "Those lasers were dope to see in person."

"I mean, they almost incinerated us, but yeah." Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "Super cool."

"We need a game plan." Junmyeon clapped his hands together to gain everyone's attention. "Mr. Lee."

"And Kyungsoo." Jongin added.

"We need to rethink this whole thing with him." Baekhyun said.

"Please don't. I think at this point, we can't just let him die." Jongin responded.

"I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that we need to make sure he doesn't die. He had proved that he's more than what we expected. I would be dead if it wasn't for him, and I'm sure the same goes for a lot of us." Baekhyun offered a small smile to Jongin.

"Baekhyun's right." Sehun nodded in affirmation. "So, let's try and find Mr. Lee and get rid of him."

"Should we split up?" Jongdae asked.

"No, Red Force needs to stick together." Junmyeon responded. "Ready?"

"Ready."

.

"What was that about you saying that my life is in your hands?" Kyungsoo spoke, startling the man in front of him.

The male turned around. "Mr. Do." He smiled.

"Mr. Lee." Kyungsoo responded.

"You're not looking too good." Mr. Lee said. "Care to rest?"

"I'm good." Kyungsoo shook his head. "Let's finish this."

"I gotta say, Red Force is lucky to have you. They keep you captive, yet you protect them." Mr. Lee stood calmly.

"This has nothing to do with them. And, if it did, at least they treated me like a human." Kyungsoo gripped the gun tighter. "You put on an innocent act, quite poorly may I add."

"Cute." Mr. Lee chuckled. "You're so confident in your words. Maybe we should work together."

"Maybe we shouldn't." Kyungsoo responded.

"If we can't work together, then I can't have you alive." Mr. Lee smirked.

Kyungsoo heard the door slam behind him. He turned around, as he expected someone to be there. While his guard was down, Mr. Lee took the hand he had in his pocket out and exposed a small knife. He charged towards Kyungsoo and dug it into the shorter's chest.

Kyungsoo fell back, causing the gun to fall out of his hand. Kyungsoo kicked Mr. Lee in the knee and scrambled for the gun. He grabbed the gun in his bad arm, but missed the shot due to the injury.

"Did you hear that?" Junmyeon looked around the halls. "That way."

"You're getting weaker." Mr. Lee smirked down at Kyungsoo. He kicked the chef in the chest. Luckily, Kyungsoo bounced back quickly and switched hands to shoot the gun. That time, it hit Mr. Lee in the chest, nearly the same spot that Mr. Lee stabbed Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo breathed heavily and crawled to a wall he could rest his back against. He kept the gun in his grasp. Mr. Lee wasn't dead, yet, but he would be soon.

.

"In there." Chanyeol whispered, readying his gun.

"I got it." Baekhyun grabbed the door handle and swung the door open.

"Huh?" Red Force said in unison and lowered their guns. Their gaze went from Mr. Lee, who was laying on his back, barely breathing, to Kyungsoo, who was in a daze.

"Hey." Jongin hurried to Kyungsoo and examined the male.

"Hey." Kyungsoo shook himself out of his daze.

"Holy shit." Chanyeol made his way over. "He's been stabbed."

"Amongst other things." Sehun scanned Kyungsoo's body. "Bullet wound."

"Broken arm, too." Kyungsoo chuckled before furrowing his brow in pain.

"I didn't know you were this badass, Kyungsoo." Junmyeon watched Mr. Lee's labored breaths.

"He's still alive." Jongdae followed Junmyeon's eyes.

"Not for long." Kyungsoo said.

"As much as I would like to watch," Jongin got up, "We need to finish the job and get Kyungsoo and Jongdae out of here. They need first aid."

"Right." Junmyeon nodded. "Want to do the honors, Kyungsoo?"

"He's all yours." Kyungsoo dropped the gun. He was too tired to think.

"I got it." Sehun raised his gun. "Don't worry."

Once Mr. Lee was dead and Red Force assured everyone else was gone, Junmyeon got everyone into their vehicle and drove back to their residence.

"We have so much cleaning up to do." Sehun groaned. "Why does killing have to be so messy?"

Chanyeol shrugged. "Why is water wet? You're asking questions we know answers to."

"Well...wait...why is water wet?" Sehun questioned.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Also, we can look for a new place. We have so many more options, now that most competition is out of our way."

"True." Junmyeon added.

"Oh, Kyungsoo?" Jongdae turned in his seat to eye the exhausted male. "Sorry. For us not putting enough care into making sure you were happy with us. Sorry for everything."

"It's what you guys have always done, right?" Kyungsoo asked.

"He's right. We usually don't put into consideration what our staff goes through. I mean, we aren't horrible to them but...yeah." Baekhyun said.

"Well, things will be different now. Jongin told us everything. You have saved our asses so many times." Junmyeon smiled at Kyungsoo in the review mirror.

Kyungsoo lightly squeezed Jongin's bicep as a 'thank you' while the rest of the group fell into a different conversation.

"Keep talking with me until we get there." Jongin whispered to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was resting against Jongin and Jongin had an arm wrapped around the younger protectively.

"Sure." Kyungsoo said, barely above a whisper.

"I'm glad you're okay, although you didn't stay where I told you to." Jongin responded. "When I didn't see you there, my heart dropped."

Kyungsoo weakly nodded. "Well, I'm here." He finally said. "Unless I'm dying right now."

"You aren't going to die." Jongin sounded offended.

"I don't know, I feel so tired." Kyungsoo's eyelids felt heavier than ever. "Maybe I can just rest for a bit."

"No, Kyungsoo." Jongin shook the younger's arm. "Stay with me. You'll be okay."

"Sorry, Jongin." Kyungsoo could feel himself slipping in and out of being awake. "Just a little."

"Guys," Jongin raised his voice, "Guys, he's not okay."

"Hurry, please." Was the last thing Kyungsoo heard before everything went silent.

...

"Kyungsoo."

"Kyungsoo!"

"Do Kyungssoo! Wake up!"

"Throw water at him."

"But then he will be wet. This is too important."

"He's never done this before."

Kyungsoo slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally, jeez. I thought I would have to greet them and I just about had a panic attack."

"Same. Me and new people don't really mix."

"I know. Remember that time when we went to Tokyo and y-"

"We don't speak of that. Besides, look who is all awake now!"

Kyungsoo looked up to see Minseok and Yixing hovering over him. They looked more formal than ever, adorned in casual tuxedos and hair styled.

"Yixing? Minseok?" Kyungsoo suddenly felt more wide awake than he had ever felt.

"Yeah?" Yixing said. "That's us."

Kyungsoo unexpectedly grabbed his best friends and held them tightly.

"Um," Minseok looked at Yixing. The two were equally as confused as one another, "You good?"

"I missed you guys." Kyungsoo felt overwhelmingly happy.

"We saw you like...an hour ago?" Yixing hugged Kyungsoo back. "Are you good? Too much soju?"

"No, no." Kyungsoo released the two. He was too embarrassed to tell them about his dream. "I'm good."

"Good." Minseok smiled. "Must have had a good dream."

"You have to finish getting yourself all pretty. Director Jeong will be here with the group soon." Yixing fixed his own tie.

"Group?" Kyungsoo questioned.

"Okay, now you're playing dumb." Yixing chuckled. "Well, we just came to check on you. We need to make sure everything is alright in the kitchen and we will join you once eveyrone arrives."

"Also," Minseok lowered his voice, "You might want to look in the mirror. You got a little drool." He winked before leaving with Minseok.

Kyungsoo fixed himself in the mirror and sat back down in the break room. He couldn't understand why his dream was so vivid. They say you have seen the people in your dreams at one point in your life, or they are a combination of people. But there were so many new faces in his dream. Plus, the pain felt so real.

There was one face in particular that Kyungsoo couldn't get out of his head and it was Jongin. Kyungsoo had actually had a crush on someone in his dreams...let alone someone he had never met. It really hit Kyungsoo how he felt about Jongin when Red Force found him after he shot Mr. Lee. None of it actually happened, though.

Kyungsoo felt the same way he did in the beginning of his dream. Confused.

"Mr. Do?" One of Kyungsoo's other employees, Taemin, knocked on the door. "They're here, in the second-floor dining room."

Kyungsoo thanked Taemin and stood up. He made his way up the stairs and to the private dining room on the second floor.

Just as he was about to open the doors, an unfamiliar face greeted him.

"Hello! It's so nice to finally meet you." The young man said. "I'm Director Jeong. Thank you for having us at the opening of your new restaurant. It is truly a pleasure."

"Of course." Kyungsoo bowed. Even though he had no idea what was going on, he had to keep it professional.

"Although we are just starting up, the boys have gotten quite a following. I think that this is a great location for meetings if everything goes well, don't you think? We are promoting in Japan for next few weeks or months."

"That's not a problem. It would be wonderful to have you here." Kyungsoo smiled. He had vaguely remembered Minseok mentioning that a new band was starting up and they wanted to come to the grand opening of Kyungsoo's new restaurant. So much time felt like it passed in present time while he was dreaming.

"Well, I think it's time you meet the group." Director Jeong started to open the door.

Kyungsoo entered first, followed by the director.

The group was turned away from him, listening to someone at the head of the table talking.

Kyungsoo felt butterflies in his stomach when he noticed the man at the head of the table resembled Mr. Kim perfectly. Handsome with sharp features, but he had blonde hair and not black like the Mr. Kim Kyungsoo remembered.

"Ah, there he is." The male spoke. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Do."

Kyungsoo nearly collapsed when he saw the group of men look in his direction. They all resembled Red Force, minus a few details. All of them had dark-colored eyes and neatly styled hair, not like the males he remembered.

"Hello." The male who looked like Junmyeon stood up. "I'm the leader." He looked at the rest of the men at the table, who quickly got up.

"We are Red Force." The group said together.

Kyungsoo had to mentally calm himself down, so he could greet him back.

"I'm Do Kyungsoo."

"We know."

Kyungsoo looked to the source of the voice to see a male that looked like Jongin. Kyungsoo felt butterflies in his stomach, but for a different reason. He was as charming as the Jongin he knew. His clean features made him even more attractive to Kyungsoo.

"I'm Kim Jongin, by the way." Jongin bowed.

They even had the same names. There was definitely no coincidence. Kyungsoo couldn't explain what had happened to him in his 'dreams' and how he was back home. There was also no explanation for why Red Force was standing right in front of him. However, from Kyungsoo's recent experience, he learned that some things could not be explained.

"Jongin is a huge fan. He is the one who introduced us to your cuisine." The leader said. "I'm Kim Junmyeon."

Jongin blushed. "I've been a fan since you opened your first restaurant." He confessed.

"He ordered for all of us after our first full day of training for debut. We were sold on your food. By the way, I'm one of the main rappers, Park Chanyeol." Chanyeol grinned.

"It's a pleasure." Kyungsoo bowed again. "Please, come any time you would like. We are still adding things to the menu and would love to have some constructive criticism."

"Thank you. I'm Oh Sehun, the other rapper." Sehun fixed his hair as he spoke.

"Byun Baekhyun." Baekhyun said, fashioning a much shorter version of the silver hair Kyungsoo remembered him having.

"He's a vocalist. So is Jongin, myself, and Junmyeon. I'm Kim Jongdae." Jongdae sent a friendly smile in Kyungsoo's direction.

"And I am also their choreographer, Kim Kibum." The blonde who Kyungsoo only knew as Mr. Kim, spoke. "I was in contact with one of your staff, for the most part. I’m the jack-of-all-trades." He joked. 

"Ah," Kyungsoo nodded, "Let me get the gentleman you were in contact with and introduce him to you."

"They're already on the way." Taemin, who was in and out of the room bringing food to the table, said.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo smiled at Taemin.

Moments later, Minseok and Yixing entered the room.

"They work here, but they are also my closest friends." Kyungsoo brought Yixing and Minseok to his side. "Please introduce yourselves."

"I'm Kim Minseok."

"I'm Zhang Yixing."

"Yixing, you're the one I have been communicating with." Kibum said. "It's a pleasure."

"Likewise." Yixing smiled.

"Well," Kyungsoo clapped his hands together, "I hope you all can enjoy your meal."

"You're eating with us, right?" Jongin asked.

"Of course." Kyungsoo tried to not smile too hard.

"Great!" Baekhyun and Junmyeon came over to guide them to seats. "Make yourselves comfortable." Baekhyun said.

Luckily, Junmyeon offered his seat to Kyungsoo and that seat was next to Jongin. Kyungsoo tried not to pretend he didn't see the grin Junmyeon sent to Jongin as he did so.

"Hi." Jongin shyly said. "It really is an honor to meet you."

"You as well." Kyungsoo responded. "I heard your promotions have been going well."

'They have." Jongin nodded. "It's very tiring, so today is really a treat."

"Well, if you ever find yourself around here, you're always welcome to a meal on me." Kyungsoo said. "Or my restaurants in South Korea."

"Really?" Jongin's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, you're even greater than I expected."

Kyungsoo blushed at the compliment.

"Also, I know I've seen you in interviews and stuff, but you feel so familiar to me." Jongin said.

"I thought the same thing about you. All of you, actually." Kyungsoo added.

"Oh, so I'm not special?" Jongin feigned sadness. "I'm joking."

"No, you definitely are." Kyungsoo clarified.

"Oh really?" Jongin grinned. "You think so?"

"I've got a good feeling." Kyungsoo grinned back.

"Want to talk about it sometime, then? Perhaps over drinks?" Jongin suggested.

"I'd love to." Kyungsoo tried not to agree too quickly.

"When are you free?"

"Why don't you take my number and we can talk about it?"

"You've got yourself a deal, Do Kyungsoo."


End file.
